The feed components are blended in the feed-blending section
and charged via a heat exchanger to the Biturox reactor. The
reactor is a vertical pressure vessel equipped with an inner
cylinder and a baffle system. To reach high efficiency of the
reaction between the feedstock and oxygen, a large
reaction surface of air bubbles is required. For that purpose,
the reactor is equipped with a three-stage agitator to disperse
the incoming air into the liquid. To ensure a small air bubble
size through the whole height of the liquid column in the
guiding cylinder, the bubbles are collected by coalescing
plates under each agitator disc stage to disperse them again
and to renew the reaction surface.

The chemical reactions between the feed components and the
oxygen are overall exothermic. A stable process with exact
temperature control is accomplished by the injection of process
water into the process air pipes at the top of the reactor. The
cooling effect is achieved by evaporation of the injected
water. As the temperature of the hot product coming from the
reactor is typically higher than the feed temperature, the hot
product is utilized for feed preheating in the heat exchanger.
When deeper product cooling is required, a product trim cooler
is installed.

The reactor offgas, consisting mainly of nitrogen and steam,
is led to the offgas treatment section to remove waste
components, such as hydrocarbons, hydrogen sulfide, thiol and
carbon monoxide. The offgas is
routed through a knockout drum to separate the condensed
hydrocarbons, an incinerator to combust the waste components, a
heat recovery section designed for steam production or hot oil
heating, and a scrubber section for desulfurization. The
treated flue gas is vented to atmosphere that meets local environmental requirements.

The Biturox reactor offers intensive and efficient gas
dispersion, uniform gas and liquid distribution, efficient
oxygen utilization, a short reaction time and stable process
liquid temperature. These conditions enable the production of
stable and homogenous bitumen, using feedstocks from a wide range of
crude oils. The internal cooling by means of process water
injection avoids local overheating and prevents coke formation
and deposits in the reactor.

Poerner has licensed over 45 Biturox oxidation units
worldwide, with a total approximate capacity of 11 MMtpy. The
company has performed approximately 300 pilot tests based on
prominent crude oils.

System monitors wear metals in oils

SPECTRO Analytical Instruments has introduced a
condition-monitoring system (Fig. 2) based on
its SPECTRO GENESIS inductively coupled plasma optical emission
spectrometer. The system presents price, performance and
productivity criteria for condition-monitoring laboratories and
oil blenders.

Fig. 2.
The SPECTRO GENESIS condition-monitoring
system analyzes lubricating oils for the presence
of metals
and contaminants.

The GENESIS system assesses component wear trends by analyzing
lubricating oils for the presence of metals and contaminants
that may accelerate wear. This early detection allows users to
prevent equipment failures and helps optimize maintenance programs.

Using updated detector technology, the systems
full-spectrum analysis covers the elemental range needed for
additive, wear and trace analysis of lubricating oils. It
offers particular sensitivity for light elements, such as
sodium, magnesium, aluminum and silicon, while offering high
sensitivity for wear and trace elements. It also provides fully
simultaneous analysis, achieving rapid sample cycle times of 90
seconds or less, independent of how many elements must be
analyzed.

Additionally, SPECTRO GENESIS features low costs for
operation, consumables and investment. As an example, a typical
flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) instrument
analyzing 16 elements might sequentially handle 180 samples in
eight hours. Independent of the number of elements present, the
SPECTRO GENESIS system can analyze up to 320 samples in the
same eight-hour time frame.

The SPECTRO GENESIS condition-monitoring package features
straightforward design and operation. Constructed of
lightweight aluminum, it fits standard laboratory benchtops,
and is available immediately worldwide.

The two companies will work together to enhance
RtTechs RtEMIS platform to accommodate Emersons
first-principles models for primary energy equipment. With the
combination of RtEMIS and Emersons process models, users
will be able to analyze and compare three critical data points:
(1) the amount of energy a system is designed to use, (2) the
amount of energy the system has used over time, and (3) how
much energy the system is consuming at the moment.

Many energy-management systems are designed to allocate
energy costs at the end of the month. Few systems monitor
energy in real time; compare usage against a theoretical
benchmark; and analyze system performance by unit, area and
across an entire plant. Emersons system dashboards and
reports will increase the visibility of site energy metrics,
providing performance-improvement tools to users.

SwRI adds flow component test cell

A cell for testing valves and other pressure-containing and
pressure-controlling products has been added to Southwest
Research Institutes (SwRIs) flow component testing
facilities (Fig.
3). The new test cell is identical to one completed in
July 2012, and was added to meet increasing demand for the test
services.

Fig. 3.
Southwest Research
Institutes new test cell will
analyze valves and other
pressure-related products.

To ensure the safety of pipelines, refineries, offshore
platforms and chemical processing plants, it is necessary to
test valves and other devices operating under high pressure to
established standards.

The cell is capable of evaluating products up to 30,000 psi
with gas hydraulic pressure. Other capabilities include
cryogenic testing to 320°F, elevated temperature
testing up to 750°F, fugitive emissions testing and thermal
cycling, among others.

The cell measures 15 ft wide by 15 ft deep by 25 ft high,
and has a 5-ton crane, a crew access door and a large equipment
door. The cell is also designed to withstand a blast load in
the event of a catastrophic pressure release.

New technology pinpoints pipeline scaling

The Flowrox Scaling Watch is a new product designed for the
precise measurement of scale in pipelines and other
fluid-control environments. Scaling is a common
problem in the minerals and metallurgy, oil and gas, power
plant, pulp and paper, and municipal wastewater industries,
where production rates can be adversely affected by the
hardening of iron, salts and other minerals in pipes and
valves.

The device is a wafer piece of pipeline engineered for
insertion between two flanges for a precise fit. It allows the
detection of scale, which is often the result of the hardened
mineral deposits that can reduce the flow of fluids through a
pipeline.

The device uses electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) technology, which allows operators
to see inside piping systems without stopping the process or
opening up the pipeline, and enables 3D imaging and measurement
of nonconductive media inside process pipelines and tanks. In
addition, the device utilizes a patented algorithm that creates
a 3D image of the process fluid in the piping, generates trend
data and shows free volume inside the pipe and the growth rate
of the scale over time.

Among other features, the Flowrox Scaling Watch can show the
scale thickness, scale profile, growth rates over time,
composition and free-flow volumeall of which allow
engineers to understand areas where pipes are prone to scaling.
The Flowrox Scaling Watch is a predictive, rather than
reactive, device, and allows its operators to address scale
issues before they reach critical levels that can cause
downtime or costly damage.

The device is manufactured in carbon steel, type 316/316L
stainless steel and titanium to meet the needs of industries
with significant scaling issues that can result in high maintenance costs. Scale is often a
major reason for a decrease in production and revenue in oil
wells, affecting valves, pumps and tubing, among other pipeline
components. The installation of a Flowrox Scaling Watch can
help lower pumping costs, lead to fewer unexpected shutdowns of
the process due to pipeline clogs, and reduce chemical usage or
optimization of chemicals.

While the Flowrox Scaling Watch is not designed to detect
scale on the entire length of the pipeline, it measures scale
in the precise spot where it is installedusually in a
section or segment where the heaviest scaling is known to
occur.

3D software shows complete explosion analysis

DNV GLs new Phast 3D Explosions software module
enables advanced and detailed 3D modeling of explosion hazards,
increasing both the accuracy of the evaluations as well as the
availability of information about the speed of vapor cloud
explosion (VCE) analyses.

Phast software is used by governments, industries and
academic institutions to help understand the hazards posed by
process activities. It is used to model safety aspects of
design options for proposed new facilities and for operational
changes to existing facilities. The software examines
the progress of a potential incident from the initial release
of hazardous substances to far-field dispersion, including
flammable and toxic effects. The analyses take numerous
parameters into consideration, including variables such as wind
direction and speed.

Phast 3D Explosions software can be used in a number of
applications, including occupied building analysis, facility
siting, escalation assessment, plant layout optimization,
determination of design accidental loads on structures and
equipment, definition of exclusion zones and demonstration of
regulatory compliance.

Key features of Phast 3D Explosions software include:

Detailed VCE modeling that explicitly considers the
interaction of the flammable cloud and identified regions of
congestion and confinement in three dimensions, resulting in
a more realistic assessment of blast potential

Combined hazard contours (Fig. 4) that
support the development of comprehensive contours associated
with a range of scenarios, weather and outcome
typesallowing for direct and ready communication of
results

Consideration of directional effects, such as wind
direction, that influence the magnitude of the resulting
hazard, as well as the potential for interaction between a
dispersing flammable cloud and regions of congestion and
confinement. The ability to place emphasis on directions of
interest helps improve understanding of these
influences.

Miniature temperature sensors save space

New temperature sensors (Fig. 5) from WIKA
are intended for use in tight spaces, such as ventilation ducts
(Model TF40) and small outside areas (Model TF41). The
measuring elements of both sensors are inserted into a
UV-resistant plastic housing that measures just 44 mm ×
32 mm × 30 mm. The new instruments, classified with
ingress protection 65, are compatible with all common control
systems.

Fig. 5.
WIKAs miniature
temperature sensors are
intended for use in the
renewable energy, HVAC
and refrigeration industries.

Model TF40 is tailored to the needs of air conditioning and
ventilation technology. Optional equipment
includes a plastic mounting flange and a thermowell. Model TF41
is primarily suitable for the fields of renewable energy,
heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration. For
this model, there is an additional, clip-on protective module
to prevent erroneous measurements as a result of strong
incident sunlight in outside applications.